Tech volleyball to open season todayTech Sports Information The Arkansas Tech volleyball team is scheduled to open the 2006 season today when it welcomes four teams to Tucker Coliseum for the second annual Golden Suns Spikefest. This tournament will begin at 11 a.m. today and continue through Saturday with five matches each day. Other teams scheduled to compete are Fort Valley (Ga.) State, Washburn (Kan.), Drury (Mo.) and Texas A&M-Commerce. The Golden Suns are scheduled to open...

Suns fall flat in Green and Gold scrimmageCourier sports staff The Arkansas Tech volleyball team took a break from preseason practice Sunday to conduct the Green and Gold volleyball scrimmage at Tucker Coliseum. In a bit of an upset, the White team, which consisted of Tech's top players, fell to the Green squad 30-19, 30-20, 21-30, 30-13, 26-30. The teams combined for 74 errors, and Golden Suns coach Kristy Kale said afterwards she was not impressed with the performance. "It was very ...

Tech offense struggles during first scrimmageBy Danny Scott Sports Editor Just call it "a work in progress." That's how Arkansas Tech coach Steve Mullins described his offense following the Wonder Boys' first scrimmage of the fall Saturday at Buerkle Field. The good news is the offense now has several scholarship quarterbacks available to run the new scheme Tech coaches installed in the spring. The bad news is none of them practiced in the spring, and it showed Saturday. The quarterbacks...

Golden Suns announce 2006-07 hoops scheduleCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech women's basketball coach Todd Schaefer released his team's 2006-07 schedule Thursday. The Golden Suns will play 27 games and will compete in three in-season tournaments, including the annual Arkansas Tech Classic during Thanksgiving weekend. The schedule features just 11 home games, seven of which are Gulf South Conference games. Schaefer, who is entering his second season at Tech, said the lack of home non-c...

Tech's preseason going as well as anyone could hope forBy Danny Scott Sports Editor Straight from the Press So far, so good. Tech's football preseason has gone about as well as anyone could hope for, considering the youth of the players and the oppressive heat they're practicing in. The best news so far? No catastrophic injuries. A few guys are banged up -- nothing major. Speaking of injuries, quarterback Cole Barthel's recovery from ACL surgery has been nothing short of astounding. I remember the...

Dardanelle's Adams heading to St. Louis,/b>By Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor Former Dardanelle softball pitcher Nikki Adams will soon get the opportunity to live her dream. Adams signed a letter of intent to play softball at St. Louis Community College at Meramec and will soon join the Magic on an athletic scholarship. The next chapter in her athletic career is something Adams has always hoped for. "I've been wanting to do this (play college softball) since I first picked up a soft...

Heat provides early test for Wonder BoysBy Danny Scott Sports Editor The Arkansas Tech football team wrapped up its third day of practice Saturday, and head coach Steve Mullins said the biggest concern so far has been dealing with the heat. "I think everybody knows what kind of heat we're practicing in," he said. Conditioning is key right now, Mullins said. He's been pleased with the overall conditioning of the upperclassmen, but the freshmen still have a ways to go. "That's usually...

Fall practice underway at TechTHE COURIER / Danny Scott Arkansas Tech defensive back Jonathan Webster (2) tries to fight through the block of wide receiver Robert Woods during the first day of practice Thursday at Buerkle Field. The Wonder Boys are scheduled to work out in helmets again today, followed by two days of helmets and shoulder pads before the conduct their first full-contact drills. Tech's first scrimmage is scheduled for Aug. 19, and the 2006 season opener agai...

Tech men's basketball adds three more signeesCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech men's basketball coach Mark Downey has announced the signing of three new recruits for the 2006-07 season, according to a release obtained Wednesday by The Courier. Jamill Jones, Irvin Humphrey and Brandon Friedel all recently signed national letters of intent to play for the Wonder Boys. The three signees join freshman guard Dexter Hendricks and junior forward Rafel Stolarek, who both signed national letters...

Wonder Boys scheduled to begin fall practice todayBy Danny Scott Sports Editor Football season is here -- almost. The Arkansas Tech football team is scheduled to begin fall practice with a short workout today, Tech coach Steve Mullins said Wednesday. The Wonder Boys will work out in helmets the next two days followed by two days of helmets and shoulder pads before they conduct their first full-contact drills. The practice schedule will then alternate between one-a-day and two-a-day until scho...

Tech baseball assistant resignsCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech baseball coach Billy Goss announced the resignation of assistant David Steed on Tuesday, according to a press release obtained by the Courier. Steed, who spent four seasons at Tech, resigned to take a full-time position at the University of West Alabama. Steed will replace former UWA assistant Neal Holliman, who resigned to take a position at East Central Community College in Meridian, Miss. "This is a great ...

That buzzing you hear is the sound of Razorback footballBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor Mark's Remarks There's been quite a bit of buzz going around about Arkansas Razorback football. Of course, that all started last fall when then-Springdale High School quarterback Mitch Mustain, who was considered one of the top prep prospects in the country, verbally committed to play for the Hogs only to later change that decision, much to the dismay of the Arkansas faithful. The recruiting drama became t...

GSC coaches remember EellsBy Danny Scott Sports Editor The tragic and untimely death of beloved sportscaster Paul Eells cast a shadow of grief over the entire state Tuesday, and Gulf South Conference Football Media Day was certainly no exception. The event, held at the Department of Agriculture Auditorium in Little Rock, featured a more subdued atmosphere this year, and several coaches acknowledged that Eells wasn't far from their thoughts. "We talked about it all the ...

Tech picked fourth in preseason pollCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech, along with Southern Arkansas, was picked fourth in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday at the league's football media day in Little Rock. Tech -- which finished tied for fifth last season with Delta State with a 6-3 conference record -- received 65 points in the poll to finish in a two-way tie with SAU for fourth. North Alabama was tabbed as the preseason favorite with 95 points...

With or without McFadden, Hogs still live on running gameCourier sports staff It's no secret to anyone who has seen Arkansas Razorback football over the years that the run game is a very important piece to the offense. There will more than likely be some changes in that area with former Springdale High School coach Gus Malzahn in charge of the offense. That means a little more wide-open style with more passes than normal looming on the horizon. One of the biggest questions throughout the offseason h...

Former Cyclone Roach to run track at CoffeyvilleCourier sports staff Former Russellville Cyclone track and cross country standout James Roach recently signed a letter of intent to run at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kan. Roach, a 2006 graduate of RHS, ran for the Cyclones all three years of high school. He also ran in the all-star race his junior year and has been competing in track since eighth grade.

Tech's Stiger receives All-America honorsCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech running back Tracey Stiger was named to the Don Hansen's Football Gazette 2006 Division II Preseason All-America team released Monday. Stiger, a 5-9, 180-pound sophomore from Russellville, made the team as a return specialist. He is one of just nine sophomores to make the 148-player roster, which encompasses all four geographic regions of NCAA Division II. During his redshirt freshman season in 2005, Stiger r...

Tech's Stiger receives All-America honorsCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech running back Tracey Stiger was named to the Don Hansen's Football Gazette 2006 Division II Preseason All-America team released Monday. Stiger, a 5-9, 180-pound sophomore from Russellville, made the team as a return specialist. He is one of just nine sophomores to make the 148-player roster, which encompasses all four geographic regions of NCAA Division II. During his redshirt freshman season in 2005, Stiger r...

12 Razorbacks selected to coaches' All-SEC teamsCourier sports staff Twelve Arkansas players were selected to the Southeastern Conference coaches' preseason All-SEC football team announced Thursday. Arkansas was one of three schools with 12 players on the first, second and third teams, along with LSU and defending SEC champion Georgia. Auburn led all schools with 14 selections, seven on the first team. Three Arkansas players were first-team selections: Sophomore running back Darren McFadden...